


Crescent Valley

by loveanfriendship



Series: Darkest Before Dawn Series [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, F/F, F/M, Finding the truth, Gen, Human Trafficking, Humans, Non-consensual stuff, Romance, Slavery, Smut, Vampires, Werewolves, Whipping, Witches and Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-10-13 09:55:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20580596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveanfriendship/pseuds/loveanfriendship
Summary: The human race, once known to be on the top of the predator chain, is now on the bottom. Earth is sectioned into three main domains: Crescent Valley, Noctis, and Salem. The sections that belong to Werewolves, Vampires, and The Mages respectively. In each domain, humans are treated as slaves to some, food to others, experiments when needed, and poverty in all.Lexie “Lex” Olenski, is a simple human girl living in the Vampire domain when she is traded to the son of the Alpha, Faolan, as a gift to keep the alliance up. After being torn away from her sister, and the only constant comfort in this new world, it is here where she goes through absolute hell, but also great love, as she starts to unravel the truth of how this world came to be.*Slowly being updated and edited*





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> There will be major editing coming up to this chapter one day in the future as a heads up! But for now, I just wanted to post this to get it out the way. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited on 08/11/2020

"Wake up!" A hand shook her shoulder urgently. Their voice hissed as they rocked the young girl again, "Wake up, Lex!"

Lexie stirred sleepily on the cold stone ground. A fresh draft of air came in through the cracks of the walls, causing her to shiver as she blinked up at the blurry image kneeling in front of her. 

"Jill?" she asked, voice cracking as it rebounded off the walls, echoing in the enclosed space that was their "bedroom." 

It was more of a dungeon cell than a bedroom with a pile of hay for them to sleep on. The stone walls had cracks in them that made the winter months so torturously cold that they wished they would die. It didn't help that there wasn't enough hay to cover them like a blanket, just an itchy bed. They had bars over glass windows that kept them from escaping, and the door to their room was always locked. There was only a small bucket for a toilet, but they were allowed to shower in a tiny, decent bathroom and eat muFaolan food three times a day. After all, they wanted their humans to stay alive and not whither away on them. They were given new clothes once the old ones started to show stains, have holes in them, or started to smell bad, which was one of the benefits of being a slave to the vampires. They had a delicate sense of smell, hearing, and reflexes.

It was the standard set up for the human slaves that were lucky enough to be slaves to one of three ruling factions. Alternatively, Lexie was assuming all three had the same setup. Maybe some were more generous than others. Lexie and her older sister Jill had the unfortunate luck of being a slave to the Vampires for all of their lives. She had enough general knowledge to know each faction. Mages, Vampires, and Werewolves did different things to the humans they kept. The Mages used their slaves for experiments. The werewolves bred humans for specific traits. The vampires used theirs for the thrill of the hunt before feeding on them. Though Lexie should count herself lucky that the Vampire that enslaved her and Jill had only done whippings when they were necessarily wrong.

A hand pressed roughly to her mouth as Jillian gave a curt nod, "Yeah, it's me, Lex. Now be quiet."

Blowing out a breath, Lexie licked her sister's palm to get it off of her. Jillian made a slight sound of disgust as she shot Lexie a glare. "Stop messing around, Lexie. Now isn't the time!" 

Glaring right back at her sister, she muttered under her breath, "There is never a time to mess around."

Lexie watched as Jill stood up and brushed down her slightly dirty clothes. Tomorrow, or today more like it, was washing day. She felt a bit envious of how her sister managed to make even their slave clothes look good. For being siblings, they had few similar features, just their thin frames, identical nose, and grey eyes. According to Jill, when Lexie was younger, she would beg to know anything about their parents. They were told that Jill took after their mother while Lexie was a mixture of them both. Jill had inherited their mom's sandy blonde hair and her cleft chin. On the other hand, Lexie had inherited their father's brown hair and his freckles that dotted across her nose and cheeks. She could see the longing when Jill stared at her sometimes, but her sister was always quick to get rid of it. 

Pushing those thoughts away, Lexie sat up and gripped Jill's hand as she waited to see what she was going to do. They had both learned early on that with the Vampire's super hearing, it was impossible to get away with anything, which is why Jill's behaviour was curious. Typically her big sister wasn't one to be snappish or uneasy, which led Lexie to ask, "What's going on, Jill? Why did you wake me up?"

"Not right now, Lexie!" Jill snapped more harshly than she meant too. She blew out a sharp breath and ran her hand through her hair before pulling her younger sister up. She cupped her face, grey eyes softening as she brushed back her sister's short brown hair, "I promise I'll tell you after we get out of here."

Pressing a finger to her sister's lips for Lexie to be quiet, Jill moved forward first to the door. She took a hairpin out of her hair and picked at the lock. 

Lexie watched her sister silently as the door clicked open. She hesitated as the door opened at last and showed the hallway leading out of the house to Noctis. Noctis was what the Vampire's called their fraction of the world. Each fraction had broken up the world into three equal parts for each of them to claim. Lexie and Jill just happened to live in the heart of Noctis, which was unfortunate because it meant that they were stuck in the city of Vampires. Vampires who would kill them instantly for breaking out without permission from their Master. Not that it seemed to stop Jill as she started tugging Lexie out into the hallway. 

Shaking her head desperately, Lexie tried to tug her arm free only for Jill to shoot her a death glare. Holding back a sigh, Lexie forced herself to relax as Jill grabbed her hand again. They were cautious and silent with each step they took out into the hallway. She sucked in a breath and held it as they hugged the stone wall, keeping to the shadows to blend in more. 

Each step was taken with caution as both sisters peered around tensely and nervously in Lexie's case. Her heart thumped louder than she ever thought possible, making her squeeze her eyes shut, hoping that a vampire wouldn't hear it and investigate. She had no idea what Jill was planning or why she was doing this all of a sudden, but Lexie trusted Jill wholeheartedly to do what was right by her. Even if it sometimes meant that they'd get into trouble. 

Lexie stepped closer to Jill when they heard a sound, and she felt Jill's arms wrap around her, pushing her behind her even more and a small alcove. Both sisters held their breath, staying stock still, and tried to keep their heartbeats from racing. The footsteps came by, and Lexie felt some relief as another slave walked by, dragging their feet, as some chains rattled on. They waited until the coast was clear before moving on again. 

They walked for what seemed like hours until Jill was happy to stop outside in the street. She looked around carefully as she knelt down, her fingers lifting something from the ground. Jill grunted at the effort, looking straight at Lexie and pointing her head, downwards towards the hole in the middle of the street. The request was explicit: get down into the hole. Now.

There were no arguments from Lexie as she scrambled forward hurriedly. She winced as she made some noise, but a quick look at a grim, comforting smile from Jill had her jumping down into the darkness.

Splash. 

Lexie blinked in the darkness, the only light filtering down was from the hole she had just jumped through. She groaned in disgust, "Jillian! This place is gross!" 

There was stone shifting against stone, small grunting noises before complete blackness swept over her. A splashing sound came from beside her, and Lexie squinted in the dark, only to make out the faint shape of her sister.

"Jill? You know that I trust you with my life. However, why are we leaving in the middle of the night? Miss Autumn will be angry when she realizes that we have escaped. Even angrier when she finds us. Which she will." Lexie breathed out nervously. 

A warm hand slipped into hers, followed by a tug. The stinky water sloshed around the sister's feet as Jill lead the way. The smell was starting to get to Lexie when Jill spun around suddenly with a curse. Next thing Lexie knew, she was being thrown back into the water, underneath it even, along with Jill. 

A male vampire came around the corner, eyes darting around carefully. He took a deep inhale, nose wrinkling in disgust at the stench of the garbage, but there was an underlying hint. Something that smelt oddly like humans. He cocked his head as he studied the surrounding area, keeping an ear out for any sound. He stood stock-still, stepping back to blend in with the shadows hoping that whatever was done here would show itself. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything out of place and slipped away into the darkness.

Her sister's hands pressed down on her to keep them both under until she deemed it safe enough. As soon as the hands were off her, Lexie sat up, gagging as she spat out some of the sewer water out her mouth. Her hair and clothes were clinging to her, and she glared fully into the direction she thought Jill was in. 

"Sorry, Lex. There was a Vampire above us. He stopped and went to smell. I had to cover our scents some way." She explained under her breath into Lexie's ear.

Lexie shivered at the warmness of her sister's breath and huffed softly. "It's fine, I guess. You going to tell me why you are sneaking us out of here yet?" She mumbled as they started crawling thru the water slowly. 

Rats scurried around them on the dry platforms on either side. Trash and other things, Lexie had no desire to guess what they were travelled either alongside them or went in opposite directions. Soft waves were made from their movements as the sisters moved along at a snail's pace. Finally, finally, they saw faint sunshine shining through some metal bars.

Lexie let out a breathless laugh while Jill did laugh more loudly. Scrambling up after Jill, Lexie squeezed through the bars with some difficulty. She stumbled and collapsed to the ground. She stared down at her hands; her hands were now covered in mud and grass.

Grass that travelled downwards over the hill leading to a forest. The forest was thick and lush with trees towered over the rundown pathway that wasn't used anymore. Glancing behind her, Lexie could make out the city outline from the rising sun's rays. The city was dark and gloomy, only being lit up by streetlights on the street for slaves doing their business, but bright on the inside of each home and workplace with lamps that sometimes hurt Lexie's eyes.

Next thing she knew, Jill was pulling her up, and they were running. Her feet pounded on the ground, rocks dug into her feet, causing her to wince, and when they hit the trees, the sun disappeared, leaving only spots on the sun coming through the treetops. Branches scratched their skin, getting tangled in their hair (mostly Jill's), but they kept running until they hit a running river. 

Lexie made a sound of distress and skidded to a stop. Shaking her head, she pleaded, "No, no, no, no! Jill, no! Please, not the water. The sewer was bad enough already!" 

Jill paused long enough to quench the spark of the frustration at Lexie's fear of water acting up right then. Right now it didn't matter that her little sister had every right to after that incident, and brushed some hair sticking on Lexie's face. 

Cupping her hand to Lexie's wet and flushed cheeks, Jill's cold fingers dug into Lexie's hand. "Lex...Lexie...I love you, but this isn't the time for you to freak out." Looking around sharply for any fast disturbances in the trees, Jill kept on a soothing, calm voice, "I know you are scared. You're allowed to be scared, Lex. You truly are. However, I need you to grip my hand as tight as you can, take deep, calming breaths," here she demonstrated, doing it slowly, "and keep your eyes locked onto the back of my head." 

Fear made Lexie's throat tighten up, her eyes water, lips trembling as small whimpers escaped. Her body trembled from the cold water. It didn't help that the rotten smell that was still slightly attached to her from the sewer tunnels. However, a little, tiny voice in the back of her head, that sounded a lot like a mixture of Miss Autumn and Jill told her,  _ Trust your sister. She'll protect you, keep you alive. She has her reasons for not telling you. _

Rubbing Lexie's hand reassuringly, Jill pulled her gently into the water. She could feel Lexie's hand trembling, and she was pretty sure it was sweaty along with wet from the water, and spoke softly to keep her sister's attention on her, "You know something, Lex? You're a lot like mom. She was silent and obedient to a fault. Miss Autumn couldn't do anything to sway her loyalty. Though that might have been because our entire family line on mom's side has been stuck with Miss Autumn for centuries." 

Using the breathing techniques that, surprisingly, Miss Autumn had taught her, Lexie focused her entire being on her sister. Taking a deep calming breath in, she slowly released it as she asked quietly, "What would mom think of us escaping?"

A sharp glance, and an even sharper intake of breath, Jill swore softly under her breath, "Damnit, Lex. How am I- damnit! She would be pissed that we're breaking one of the top rules, happy if we make it, and urging us if she knew the reason." 

"And what is the reason?" Lexie asked, keeping a careful eye on Jill's reaction. 

Also, before starting again, Jill's faltering stop was after Lexi nearly went face-first into the water, before replying tensely, "A good one." 

Narrowing her eyes, Lexie huffed in frustration and stopped in her tracks, giving Jill a levelled look. She asked again, "What is this "good" reason, Jillian."

Chewing on her lip, Jill didn't wince as she bit too hard. She thought about the pros and cons of telling Lexie what she might have heard before deciding she had nothing to lose. She trusted her baby sister with this information. Blowing out an edgy breath, Jill asked as the started trekking up the river again, "You remember that chore Miss Autumn had sent me on? The one to the middle of the city to get medicine for you?"

Thinking back, Lexie nodded slowly, "I think I remember. That was when I got sick. Right after the water scaring incident. Right?"

"Yeah, that one," Jill mumbled as she glanced around. Seeing as now still wasn't the time to get out of the river, she continued with her story, "Well, as I was coming back with it, I overheard two older vampires talking. They aren't as old as Leader Kieran but are up around there. They were talking about how this thing was acting up again. That it wasn't pleased for some reason, and then they mentioned the Werewolves and the Mages. However, as soon as I inched closer to them, they smelt me. I turned and hurried off quickly after apologizing, but they didn't say another word until I was out of sight."

At Jill's explanation, Lexie's head exploded with questions. Questions that were swirling around, ramming into each other, each one just begging to be blurted out. However, she couldn't get a word in as she slammed into Jill's back. She didn't even question her sister before she was half pulled, half dragged out of the river and onto dry land again.

Then she was running. 

Her hand was still clasped tightly in Jill, with her sister leading them both through the trees, trying not to leave a mark anywhere, as the urgency of the situation hit her. They needed to get out. They needed to get out of here, go somewhere else, just the two of them. Somewhere safe. So Lexie pushed her legs faster than she ever had. She could feel them cramping up, the pain shooting up and down her legs, causing her to stumble, but she pushed on. 

Finally, she heard Jill laugh. It was a laugh full of wonder and surprise and happiness." Lexie! Look! You see it?"

Looking up, Lexie did indeed see it. She could see torches with fire and the faint outline of a brick road from the sun's rays. She could just barely make out houses made of wood with straw roofs.

The Magic User's domain. 

So different than the cities and clustered streets that the Vampire's called their home. It was beautiful in an awe-inspiring way and caused Lexie to laugh herself. 

They both ran faster, grins echoing on their faces as they were nearly free. Lexie squealed in surprise when she felt a hand wrap around the hand, holding Jill's and tear them apart. A moment of confusion on both sister'sisters' faces before a blur dashed between them, gripping their arms tightly and forcing them to their knees. 

Red eyes peered down at them in proudness but also sick amusement. Dark auburn hair flowed freely around a pale face, and the voice purred softly, "My little slaves thought they could escape, did they? I must admit that I am proud of you both. One, for getting out of my house undetected. Two, use your brains and masking your scents until you both cut your feet on the rocks. Also, three, for making it a few steps from freedom. Clever girls, you are. Clever girls."

Lexie glanced up at her Master, whispering sullenly, knowing that the punishment would be horrible than her last one, "Sorry, Miss Autumn," with Jill repeating the words after a glare from Lexie. 

An enormous grin blossomed on Miss Autumn's lip as she told them both, "Oh, it is quite okay, my darlings. I have orders to bring you to Kieran himself." Wrinkling up her nose, she pulled her head back in disgust, carrying them out of the forest and telling them, "But first, you must bathe."


	2. Chapter Two

Lexie shifted nervously from foot to foot. Miss Autumn had been right on her promise of bathing them and had given them suitable dresses to wear. Both of their hair was still damp though as they walked down the dimly lit hallway.

Miss Autumn's footsteps made no noise as she leads her two slaves to Kieran. She glanced back at them sparingly, and gestured to the wall beside her, ordering them, "Stay there. Stand still and straight. I'll be back out for you when you are needed." With that, she slipped into the room, shutting the door silently.

Now that they were alone, Lexie released a shaky breath, hands gripping the front of her dress hard to keep them from trembling, as she asked in a low voice, "What does Leader Kieran want with us?"

"I don't know, Lexie," Jill said distractedly.

Huffing at Jill softly, Lexie turned her attention back to the wall. It was a dull, soft cream colour that reflected the light in an exciting way. She kept herself entertained while they waited until the door opened and Miss Autumn gave them a sharp nod in.

The room was huge with a full table taking up most of the space. Around the table were weird chairs that Lexie thought looked comfortable but didn't dare try out. The colour of the room was the same cream colour; only there was an open window that was covered by dark curtains blocking out most of the sunlight. The curtains were free enough to light up the place enough and show a few figures already seated.

The first one Lexie noticed was Leader Kieran. He stood out with his sharp red eyes, pale skin that covered an angular face, and light brown hair that fell softly into his eyes. His hands folded underneath his chin, and he watched the slaves enter with interest on his face. Next to him was Miss Autumn and another vampire. Both had their arms crossed as they glared slightly at the opposite end of the room.

Craning her neck to peer at the other visitors, Lexie was surprised to see some of the Werewolves. Granted it was only the Alpha and a human slave, but it was such an odd sight that Lexie, who had her eyes fixed onto the Alpha, tripped over a chair. Catching herself, she flushed as all eyes turned to her and she squeaked out, "I'm sorry, Leader Kieran. I should have been paying more attention instead of staring at your guests."

A soft low chuckle echoed across the room as Kieran leaned forward more. He gave her a small smile and waved it off, "That is all right, Lexie Olinsky. We all stumble along in life. All that matters are that you get back up again afterward. Wouldn't you agree, Alpha Maccon?"

The werewolf did not laugh but stared pointedly at Lexie with his golden eyes. "Yes, I suppose that is something we all must learn in life, Leader Kieran. However, a slave should conduct herself with better manners than that." He glanced down at his slave at his feet briefly, and put his fingers roughly in the human's hair, making him wince. "But we digress. The deal you wished to make…?"

Eyes flashing a bit in annoyance, Kieran put on a natural smile, leaning back into his seat, as he waved both Jill and Lexie over to him. Standing up slowly, he walked around each girl before standing in the middle of them. Placing a cold hand on each of their shoulders, he agreed readily, "Our slaves are raised with extreme manners. You can't punish them over every little mistake they make. It is in their human nature to make them. As long as they learn from them," he paused and brushed Lexie's short hair out of her face, "then no harm is done. Isn't that right, Lexie?"

Shivering slightly at the soft, cool touch on her cheek, Lexie bowed to them both and apologized quietly, "Yes, Leader Kieran. Alpha Maccon, Leader Kieran I am sorry for making a fool out of myself in front of you both. I am not normally like that, and it was disrespectful to you both. I will make sure it does not happen again. If it does, then I will accept the punishment that you reap on me."

Smiling down at her, Kieran squeezed her shoulders tightly in pleasure at her apology and went back to his seat. Leaning backwards in his chair, the sunshine hitting a bit of his hair before he leaned forward out of the way again. Nodding to the Alpha of the Werewolves, he apologized, "There is one more urgent matter I wish to deal with these two before we get to the deal we have set up. It was just brought to my attention before you arrived, and it can not go unpunished."

After getting a nod from Alpha Maccon, Kieran stood up and beckoned Jill and Lexie to follow him. They went out a different door than the one they'd come in and into a small room. The Vampire leader let the two sisters go in first, and only when they were in the place, did he shut the door behind him quietly.

There was a heavy silence between all three of them before he moved in a blur. Lexie went to make out a sound of alarm, but she was cut off by a hand gripping her chin hard. Glancing at Jill, who looked slightly pissed and worried, Lexie felt her heart beating faster from fear. Leader Kieran was dangerous. Very dangerous.

Moreover, he showed it by leaning forward in between them, fingers gripping harder enough to leave fingerprint bruises, as he hissed lowly, "Whatever you two have heard...whatever you two saw...the reason why you decided to leave...it stays between the two of you. If I find out that a single word has been breathed out about what you have heard, your punishment will be the most severe of punishments. Is that clear?"

Lexie felt her heartbeat against her ribcage as fear flowed through her body. Her breaths came out in high pitched hitches, and she opened her mouth to speak. Only no words came out but whimpers of fear instead. It was the first, and last time, she ever wanted to be in a Vampire's grip like this.

"Do you understand?" he growled louder, fangs starting to emerge from behind his snarl, pushing them both into the wall with a loud thud. The painting on the wall rattled, and Lexie was sure that they were all wondering what was going on here from the next room. However, her focus went back to Leader Kieran as his grip became deadly and his fangs flashed in the light.

Miraculously, Lexie managed to get the words out as soon as she saw his fangs inches away from her face. "Ye...yes, Lea...Lead...Leader Kieran. I...understand." she gasped out.

He moved his fangs away from Lexie, turning his full attention to Jill as they stared, more like glared at each other. Finally, after Lexie feeling that Jill was about to get herself killed, Jill relented and muttered more rudely, "Yes! I understand. No telling on the secrets."

Glancing between them both a once over to make sure they understood, Kieran relaxed as he dropped his hands down to his sides. Giving them a sharp smile, he spun around and walked back into the meeting room with the sister's following behind.

Brushing his suite off of dirt, Kieran apologized once more as he took his seat, "I am truly sorry about that, Alpha Maccon. However, as you know, urgent matters are sometimes more important to deal with at the time."

"Of course," Maccon nodded with an unreadable look at the two young women. He smiled briefly before focusing back on the Vampire Leader. "As per our agreement… I am taking one of them along with the rest of the breeders your Faction wished, is that correct?"

Drumming his fingers softly on the table, Kieran studied him carefully before saying aloud curiously, "As far as I was aware...these two particular slaves were not part of the agreement. I believe years ago we made an agreement that you bred the same woman twice, producing an offspring for my wishes, and that they would stay here with the vampire of my choosing, yes?"

Maccon cocked his head and studied the slaves again. "Yes, I remember. That was an unusual request…it is rare that we get a request to use the same sire and bitch more than once. I was surprised that a Vampire such as yourself would request this." He paused to look down on the only female vampire in the room, "However, the vampire 'of your choosing' has failed to be able to keep them in their place. They run amok, cause havoc wherever they go from what I hear, and they do not listen to their Master. It is such disrespect in every way possible, Leader Kieran. In Crescent Valley, such an attempt to escape would mean death by The Hunt. I fail to see why you would wish to keep them both. I do not see any good reason why they should be together. They depend on each other far too much than is proper."

Flickering his gaze to Autumn and the girls, Kieran leaned forward to remind the werewolf in a gentle but stern manner, "But we are not in Crescent Valley. We are in Noctis. We do things differently here. However, if you must truly know, normally such a crime would be met with a hunt of our own. One of which was the human would be fed on by the end. However, these two...they are special to me more than you realize, Alpha Maccon. They grew up together, Jillian here raised Lexie since the day she was born. Why would I ever wish to separate them? Such a strong bond is rare in any Faction."

The Alpha nodded his agreement on the last statement, but pointed out, "Because your… Jillian, did you say? She is the leader, I know. Also, she defied the rules. The other tagged along because she had to, I am certain. The older one is a bad influence on the younger one. If you wish them to be prized slaves, I would say you must nip this in the bud." Maccon shot Jillian a narrow-eyed look before he watched the Vampire leader once again, slight unease running through him at being in his presence.

With his chin in his hands, red eyes sweeping over the girls in thought for a few minutes, before finally turning back to the werewolf. "Maybe so, maybe not. You see, the situation is more complicated than you realize. On the day I sent their mother to be bred again, the only way she would go was if I promised to keep her children together. I would never have made any promise to a slave, but I needed to have her impregnated again. So, I do not wish to break that promise over something so...lightly."

"I understand that, Leader Kieran. Werewolf promises are also binding. However, their mother is dead, is she not? The promises die at the slave's grave," Maccon shot back.

"The promise of a vampire only dies when both parties die, Alpha Maccon. I am not dying anytime soon, Alpha." Kieran told him, folding his hands onto his lap. "So... what is it that you can offer me to give up my wishes and break such a promise?"

Smiling, Maccon gestured at the girls, and asked, "If I may… inspect them a bit more closely?"

Cocking his head curiously, Kieran looked at the girls before nodding to Autumn. "Autumn? Would you mind standing between the girls while Alpha Maccon inspects them?" Getting a nod from Autumn, he turned back the werewolf and apologized, "Do not mind her, Alpha Maccon. Autumn here is their Master as you know and it will calm the girls down to have someone familiar with them while you inspect them. I ask that you do not touch them."

"Very well." Maccon strode over the pair. He looked first at Jillian and murmured. "Grey eyes. Fascinating." He walked around her carefully and smiled, "A good frame." He started to reach for her breasts before remembering he was not permitted to touch. "A good rack. Important for nursing. The hair could be richer in colour, but it suits her. Strong looking, from what I can tell. Would rather have had her naked but oh well." He peered into Jillian's eyes and asked her directly, "You have not been bred, have you? How old are you, girl?"

Giving him a bold look for even thinking of touching her, Jill jutted out her chin and snapped softly, "I am twenty-six, Alpha."

"Answer the first question, girl," Maccon said as he glared right back at her. "By the moon above, you will be trained properly in my hands if it is you that I take," he growled warningly at her, just loud enough for the girls to hear.

Autumn stepped forward so that she was between the two girls and the Alpha. Her eyes flashed dangerously, and there was a low warning in her voice, "The agreement has not been reached; therefore, she is not yours. Neither of them is yours, and it would be wise not to threaten them in my presence, Alpha."

Maccon glanced at the vampire and felt the hairs on his neck bristle at the threat. Instead, he forced himself to relax, and knowing that it would piss the Vampire's off, purred, "My apologies, Autumn. I will keep the threats to myself." He said no more than that and turned to Lexie, noting the grey eyes as well and the same wiry frame. Her hair pleased him better, and he knew that she would not have been bred either. "I like this one very well. Your age, girl?"

"Nineteen, sir," Lexie said quietly in politeness.

"Yes, much better. You are better behaved. An odd thing considering your sister. A good girl either way," the Alpha told her approvingly. Turning back to the Vampire leader, he smiled again. "Those are class. Good class slaves. I like how they have not had any form of breeding. Those grey eyes now… that's rare. She will be an excellent addition to the breeding program that will make many werewolves and Mages happy to have. Grey eyes are such a rare treat that it will be fun breeding them both for results. It also helps that they have the right build for being mothers. They are fast, so I hear, perfect for the hunts. Also, their father, I still have a fine line. I should like to see it continued. It would be beneficial for everyone all around."

Raising an eyebrow, Kieran had to admit, "Their mother's eyes are the reason why I wished to breed her in the first place. They run down her family line. All the females that have come into my possession after breeding that line have had these grey eyes. Such rare colours to see nowadays."

The Alpha looked pleased, stating, "Yes, it is a good match. It is too bad that their mother is dead. If you lot know how to care for a pregnant female, it would be different. Never mind, it is in the past, and it's done now. I would like to have a child of hers. The best way to know if what you say about their family line is true is to breed them. Moreover, you know I have the best studs available." His voice rang with pride in the last sentence.

Nodding in agreement, Kieran mused softly, "I won't deny that it isn't true. However, I must decline your offer, Alpha Maccon. Breeding them is worse than having them stay here as slaves ready to die."

Huffing, Maccon pointed out, "If they die, the line dies with them. You know that just as much as I do. It would be such a waste of genetics."

"I wish more for them than simple breeding purposes. Anything less is useless to me." Kieran retorted back.

Looking once more at the girls in a hungry way, Maccon decided to pull out the silent card that would land him one of the girls to breed. He quietly said, "You still owe me, Kieran. I do wish for one of them. Besides, there is another reason why I wish for one of them. You see, my son Faolan still has not chosen a personal slave after losing his last year to the monthly Hunt. We had such high hopes for him, but things didn't work out that way. One of these two would make a good gift to him for his birthday. Also, you know he would treat her well. He is the son of the Alpha, after all."

"I do not take owing someone lightly, Maccon. You know that very well from my quarter yearly meetings with you. However, I am between a rock and a hard place. If you could promise me that she would not come to harm in any way possible, other than what she deserves and that she is treated correctly by those around her...then we would be having a very different conversation, my friend." Kieran told him.

The werewolf offered his hand and locked golden eyes on the vampire. "I, Alpha Maccon, do promise to care for the slave that you give me and when and if they are successfully bred… if we do not choose to keep the child, it shall be offered to you."

Eyes slightly narrowed at the promise, Kieran countered gently, "The girl stays with your son. She will be a gift, yes? Yes, I would like the child if it is not wanted."

"A gift. Faolan will take excellent care of her." He turned to study the slaves. "Now, the question is… which one?"

Lexie stared in horror at them both but couldn't say anything. It wasn't in her place to deny what Kieran wished though. She kept her focus on the ground, fear starting to build up as she waited for Leader Kieran to pick one of them. Only for Jill to speak up right then.

"You have no fucking right to sell either of us off! You promised mom before she died! You promised her!" Jill yelled, eyes solely on the vampire leader.

Kieran's eyes narrowed, and he told Autumn bluntly, "Get her out of here and punish her as needed for her outspoken words. I will be down to deal with it after the trade personally."

Now Lexie did let out a sound of fear and spun towards Jill. Her hand came up to grip her sister's only for it to be torn away the next moment. Miss Autumn gave her a soft look, with regret and pity in her eyes, as she gripped Jill and pulled her to the door.

Determined to get to her baby sister, Jill cursed and screamed before focusing on Lexie. "Lex! _Lexie!_ Don't lose who you are! Don't ever give up! Live your life to the fullest as much as you can! Also, know that every decision you make I'm going to be proud of you! I lov-"

The words got cut off as the door slammed shut. Tears welled up in Lexie's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Her lip trembled, and she looked at Leader Kieran with pleading eyes.

She got a softened look from the Vampire leader before it disappeared completely. "I am sorry about such a display, but it must happen more often than this in the breeding grounds, I assume. Lexie here will have to do for the gift, yes?" Kieran said quickly and quietly.

"I suppose she will have to do. The other is a spitfire, isn't she? I wish you luck with that one." Maccon had to smirk with a certain glint in his eyes. "I'd fuck her until she behaved. However, that is the Werewolf way. Oh well such as shame since I am sure she'd be one of the good ones in bed. Lexie, is it? Good." Now Maccon drew near to her and openly cupped her chin and looked into those grey eyes.

Tears were still flooded in her eyes, making the alpha's image blurry, as she croaked out a reply, "Yes, sir. My name is Lexie."

Tipping his head at his slave who was still where Maccon had left him, the Alpha commanded, "Then go kneel over there with Ryan. Stay out of the way, be quiet, and stay still. One move or a tantrum like your sister, and I shall be restraining you most unpleasantly. You got that, girl?"

"Yes, sir," Lexie whispered as she made her way over to another slave. She knelt on the spot and bowed her head as tears fell silently down her face.

Satisfied, Maccon eyed the Vampire Leader and asked, "Where there any further points of discussion while I am here?"

Shaking his head, Kieran only told him, "Other than your promise to take good care of my slave? No other business was needed. However, Maccon, if I catch wind that your son broke your promise in any way while dealing with Lexie….it would not be for your best interest."

The werewolf growled lightly at the threat. Maccon bared his teeth, hate running through his veins, but he kept himself calm and hissed, "I understand. Do not forget, Vampire, that our promises are binding. Faolan will take care of Lexie. Also, cure her of any training errors that have been made by her sister. I will keep you in the loop if he chooses to breed her." With that, he gave a sharp bark of command to them both and left the room.


	3. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking a break from writing for a month or two

Hey everyone,

So this past month has been hectic with many different things from my mental health to a family member's health not being the greatest, along with a few other personal reasons, that I have found myself forcing myself to write. Now the problem with that is that I'm finding it very frustrating when my writing isn't turning out the greatest.

So to keep myself from burning out and not writing anything, I am going to be taking a month or two hiatus. During this time I plan on working on my mental health, and I'm hoping that my family member's health improves during this time, but that doesn't mean I won't write. I plan on writing when I feel like it without burning myself out and hopefully gain some sort of buffer so that I won't have to worry when I do start posting again.

Thank you for understanding and being so patient about the updates! You guys are the best :)


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